Jang Geum starts her life in the royal court as a kitchen-lady-in-training, working her way up the ranks from a low-class orphan child sweeping the floor to one of the head cooks in the kitchen. She's scrappy and tenacious but plagued by the higher-ups in the royal court, and on her journey she spends a few years as a laborer in the royal herb gardens. This is a serious step down for her, but as usual, she manages to make something out of nothing. She achieves hero status when she is able to grow a valuable medicinal Chinese herb that has never before thrived on Korean soil. She also becomes well-versed in herbal remedies and medicine, which helps her further down the road when she becomes a physician. Jang Geum has an uncontrollable curiosity, which helps her in testing and developing recipes and medicines. Her inquisitiveness does land her into some spots of trouble, but it makes her seem real and even more likable.